Ralph H. Cameron

Ralph Henry Cameron (21 October 1863-12 February 1953) was a delegate to the US House of Representatives from the Arizona Territory (R) from 4 March 1909 to 14 February 1912 (succeeding Marcus A. Smith and preceding Carl Hayden) and a US Senator from 4 March 1921 to 4 March 1927 (succeeding Smith and preceding Hayden).

Biography
Ralph Henry Cameron was born in Southport, Maine in 1863, and he traveled to the Arizona Territory in 1883 due to his curiosity about the Southwest. He established the Last Chance Mine around the Grand Canyon, and he constructed a trail and a log cabin hotel in 1892 and 1893. Recognizing the canyon's potential use for tourism, Cameron built a hotel at the head of the Bright Angel Trail and began charging a toll for use of the trail. By 1907, he owned 39 mining claims. In 1889, he led efforts to create Coconino County, and he became its first sheriff in 1891. From 1909 to 1912, he was a delegate to the US House of Representatives from Arizona, and he initiated the process of statehood for Arizona. He left office in 1912 after a failed US Senate run, and he returned to business before serving in the Senate from 1921 to 1927. Cameron supported Warren G. Harding's "return to normalcy", and he voted in favor of tariffs. In 1926, he lost re-election to Carl Hayden due to his conflict of interests, and he died in 1953.